The Wayward Apprentices
by lovelyhoneybee
Summary: "We're just a group of masterless keyblade apprentices, meeting in the basement of a public library with plastic masks and no idea what we're actually doing. How are we supposed to fight the darkness by ourselves?" "I don't know. But I know we don't have a choice."
1. Destati Street Station

This world has been connected.

Tied to the darkness.

What did it mean? Tied to the darkness? These dreams were only getting weirder and weirder. She could feel it in her heart for quite some time: something was off. Were the dreams some kind warning?

A cheery voice rang over the station's intercom. "The train will be arriving shortly! As a reminder from the Dusklight City Transit Authority, food and drink is prohibited on all vehicles. Thank you!" Destati Street Station was eerily quiet this afternoon. Normally the brightly lit platform would be milling with activity, noise echoing all the way to the colorful mosaics on the arched ceiling. Trains would clank and groan as they sped past, their headlights flashing against the white tiled pillars lining the platform. Crowds of commuters, each with their noses tucked firmly in their own business, would stream down the main stairs from the city streets above. But there were no people, no milling throngs. No echos. No clangs or groans. Too still. She had to tell the others."Take the subway often?" A voice from the bench next to her broke her concentration. It was a girl, no older than seventeen, in a flowery pink sundress. The only other soul in the station. The girl nervously swept her long dark hair from her face. "Sorry to disturb you. I just moved here. I'm not really familiar with the trains yet." She gave a sheepish smile. "I'm June by the way, what's your name?"

"Nyx." the figure replied. June couldn't see her face, but the stern voice sounded like it came from a girl about her age. Nyx wore a silver hoodie with the hood drawn and faded black jeans. On her lap was a worn canvas messenger bag dotted with various enamel pins. Small white feathers poked out of one of the bag's weathered corners. "Nyx. It's nice to meet you. Do you happen to know which line goes to the library? I was hoping to finish my independent study before the end of break."

Nyx said nothing, but straightened her posture. After another beat of silence, the hooded girl answered. "This line goes to the library."

"Oh, that's good to know. Thank you." June looked up at the illuminated train schedule hanging from the ceiling. "Shouldn't it be here by now?"

"Exactly." Nyx was standing now.

"June, what do you hear?"

June slowly looked around."Now that you mention it...it is pretty quiet." She had noticed the odd lack of people earlier, but thought nothing of it. Maybe it was just a sleepy afternoon, she thought. But now the stillness was oppressive. Threatening even. She could hear her own breathing. She could hear Nyx's breathing, which had gotten strangely heavy. She could hear the tunnels. Something...in the tunnels? Scuttling across the tracks? That couldn't be right.

The lights began to shutter.

The noise was growing louder. Scuttling. Scratching. It wasn't just in the train tunnels.

It was everywhere. From every direction.

Moving.

In their direction.

"We need to go." Nyx hissed under her breath. "Now."

June nodded. "The main stairs are our closest bet."

She could make out the sound of claws against tile, as well as a dark haze that began to seep in.

Scuttle. Scratch. Pawing. Clawing.

Nyx slid her hand into her bag, which was now slung across her shoulders. "June. Listen carefully. On the count of three: run. Run to the stairs and don't look back. Understand?"

A low rumble began to shake the platform.

"I...I understand."

"One."

The noise was on top of them now.

"Two."

The low rumble became the roar of footsteps.

"Three!"

A flood of creatures burst through every open space. As June flung herself towards the exit she saw hundreds of them coming through the tunnels, the vents, from under the benches, everywhere. Dark globs with antenna and sharp claws. And bright beady yellow eyes.

So many eyes.

Her heart was on fire as she sprinted. Everything was a blur until her cheek met the cold concrete of the platform. The creatures descended upon her. Darkness began to close in.

Don't be afraid.

Awaken your keyblade.

A flash of light. Creatures scattering. June was still on the concrete floor but with a strange new object in her hand. It was a large...key? The voice called it a "keyblade"?

She didn't have time to wonder as another wave of creatures pounced on her. She slashed. They evaporated into dark clouds. She slashed again. Again. Through the flickering lights she could see the main stairs. Escape. Her weapon arm was beginning to shake. Just a little could see the bulk of the abysmal hoard. The hoard saw her too. They descended in a spiraling rage of dark claws.

Slash.

A silver figure in a feathery white owl mask blinked into existence and cut a hole in the stream of dark creatures. Nyx blinked from one side to another, brandishing her keyblade in crescent shaped flashes.

Step, slice,step, spin,slash, step. She leapt to June's side.

"Get up. We still need to get out of here." Nyx commanded.

"There's too many of them!"

The creatures formed a giant whirling vortex. A writhing tower.

"Hold up your keyblade."

June weakly held out her blade. Nyx held up hers. A warm glow enveloped them as a beam of light shot from their weapons, lancing the demonic tower in it's dark heart.

The creatures disappeared in a cloud of darkness.

The lights stopped flickering.

A different rumble shook the station. June could hear metallic noises churning their way. The train.

"None of this makes sense." Nyx whispered to herself. "I wonder if Yen Sid would…" She turned to June. "I have to go. But here, take this." She snaked a hand into her bag and pulled out a small card. She handed it to June."I'll join you and the others later."

"Join me where?" Instead of answering Nyx waves her hand. A dark portal appears behind her. She hastily stepped through and was gone.

"The train has arrived! Please watch your step!" People shuffled hurriedly from the train cars.

June inspected the card. It was plain white with a phone number and a singular phrase: "May your heart be your guiding key."

"The others?" June slipped her cell phone from her pocket and began to dial.


	2. Apprentice Sparrow

The boy on the phone sounded quite excited. June followed his gleefully-given directions to the group's hideout: first floor, down the second set of stairs, past the boiler room,last door at the end of the hall.

The library's basement was deceptively large. Fluorescent panels illuminated the white drop ceiling and cast yellow reflections against the checkered linoleum floors. Disused folding tables and old poster boards nestled against the beige walls in dusty huddles. On the far wall sat a chipping mural of a swirling sun and moon as well as a small worn kitchenette. In the center was a ring of metal folding chairs, its young occupants in the middle of a heated discussion. June approached them.

"Am I too late to join your meeting?" she asked. The group turned to look at her. They were all in hoodies and feathery masquerade masks, just like Nyx.

"Not at all!" A boy in a green mask lept up to greet her. "You're right on time! June: meet the team. You've met Apprentice Owl already, she gave you our card. She hasn't arrived yet, but she should be here soon. She's our human darkness detector. The tall one with the red mask is Apprentice Raven. He keeps us connected when we're not meeting here. That's Apprentice Hawk with the notebook and blue extraordinaire. Apprentice Peacock is the one in the yellow mask on his laptop. He can find _anything._ As for me: I'm Apprentice Eagle, your fearless leader. Welcome to the group!"

"Thanks but...who are you guys?"

Apprentice Eagle placed a hand on June's shoulder.

"We call ourselves the Wayward Apprentices. Hence the 'apprentice' in front of each of our names. The five of us, well six of us now, work together to seek complete mastery. Complete mastery of what you may ask?"

Apprentice Eagle extended his arm straight in front of him. A white light erupted from his open palm as he gripped a large bronze key.

"Behold: the keyblade! A weapon forged from the light of our strong hearts. Chosen to defend the ultimate source of light. The one and only:Kingdom Hearts! Heart of all worlds! Light of all lights! Dark of all..._darkness._"

"Take it down a couple notches there Eagle. You're gonna overwhelm the kid." said Apprentice Hawk from behind the pages of her composition notebook. "Start with the basics."

Eagle's keyblade dispersed in a cloud of light as he took a deep breath and began again."Okay, it's like this: remember what happened a couple years ago? When our world just...disappeared?"

"Yeah. I...I do. Everything was swallowed and-"

"Exactly! The darkness took everything and scattered everyone. But no one, absolutely no one in this city, remembers this happening. No one: except the people in this room. Kinda strange? Then, when everything is put back together again, we gain the power to summon these bad boys?" There is a flash of light as Eagle triumphantly brandishes his keyblade over his head. "Coincidence? We don't think so. We can feel it in our hearts. If you can summon one of these, then you must feel it in your heart too. These are not coincidences. These are the waves of fate, pushing us to a far horizon."

"Get that off a fortune cookie Apprentice Eagle?"

Eagle disperses his keyblade again."Nice of you to rejoin reality Apprentice Peacock. Don't you want to say hello to our newest member? Blogblur can wait five minutes."

"Says the selfie king of Dusklight City! This follower count doesn't build itself you know." Peacock says as he returns his attention to his laptop.

"This is all very interesting. Really." said June sheepishly. "But I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"Neither do we." said Apprentice Hawk. "This power doesn't come with instructions. We don't know why we were chosen, how this power truly works, or if there's anyone else like us. But we do have each other. So we teach ourselves. Whatever we learn about keyblades and Kingdom Hearts we share amongst ourselves. That's what this group is all about. When the darkness shows up at our door, we want to be ready. But more importantly, we want to understand."

"Couldn't have said it better myself Apprentice Hawk! One more thing, before I forget." Apprentice Eagle reaches under his seat and pulls out a masquerade mask with tawny feathers and presents it to June. "Welcome, Apprentice Sparrow, to the Wayward Apprentices!"


End file.
